Checklist of the Plants of the Guiana Shield - Department of Botany ...

ABSTRACT
Funk, V., T. Hollowell, P. Berry, C. Kelloff, and S. N. Alexander. Checklist of the Plants of the Guiana
Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contributions
from the United States National Herbarium, volume 55, 584 pages. This volume contains a checklist of the
plants of the Guiana Shield Area (northeastern South America) produced using information gathered from historical and recent
collections as well as many recent expeditions. The Guiana Shield, as treated here, includes the countries of Guyana and
Surinam, French Guiana (a part of France) and the Venezuelan states of Amazonas, Bolivar, and Delta Amacuro. The checklist
contains 257 vascular plant families with 13,367 species. According to the list 6,791 of those species are from Amazonas, 6,669
from Bolívar, 1,651 from Delta Amacuro, 7,112 from Guyana, 4,984 from Surinam, and 5,406 are from French Guiana. Of these
species, 293 (2.2%) are estimated to be introduced and naturalized and even fewer are invasive. The small number of naturalized
species is a good indication of the large amount of intact vegetation from this area of South America. The largest family is the
Leguminoseae with 146 genera containing 1032 species; 41 families are represented by only one species. Over 250 scientists
from around the world participated in this project by identifying specimens and checking species lists. This volume should be of
use to students, taxonomists, ecologists, and conservation biologists, as well as to interested amateurs.
KEY WORDS (not in title): South America, biodiversity, endemic species, invasive species
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 31 July 2007
Cover Design by Alice R. Tangerini: front, illustration by Alice R. Tangerini: new species of Paloue, habit,
leaf base detail, ovary detail, anther and stipules (K.M. Redden 4027); back, illustration by Alice R.
Tangerini: Nautilocalyx pemphidius L. Skog; habit, flower bud, open flower, corolla face, longitudinal
section of flower, stamens, pistil, and nectary, fruit, seeds (Bell 324)
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium (ISSN 0097-1618) Department of Botany, National
Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.
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The periodical, Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, was first published in 1890 by
The United States Department of Agriculture. From 1 July 1902 forward it was published as a Bulletin of
the United States National Museum. The series was discontinued after volume 38 (1974), and has been
revived with volume 39 (2000) as a venue for publishing longer taxonomic papers, checklists, floras, and
monographs, produced by the staff and associates at the U.S. National Herbarium. It is externally peer
reviewed, and published at irregular intervals. Subscription and other correspondence should be addressed
to CUSNH, Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, Smithsonian
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